1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a clip that is mounted in a hole of an elastically-deformable soft material disposed on a base member and is capable of holding a mounted object at the front surface side of the soft material in this mounted state.
2. Description of Related Art
In a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, etc.), a silencer (sound absorbing material) composed of a soft material such as felt, urethane foam, or the like is mounted on an inner portion of an instrument panel or a floor, thereby insulating sound such that noise in an engine compartment or from outside of the vehicle does not reach the interior of the vehicle.
In the case where a wire harness is laid on the silencer, a dedicated clip is used. A conventional clip (e.g., a clip disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-193830) is fixed by using a stud bolt mounted on a base member which supports the silencer or by using a through hole provided in the base member. However, since the stud bolt has to be mounted on the base member or the through hole has to be provided in the base member, time and effort are required for fixing the clip.
On the other hand, the clip in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-193830 can be mounted directly on a silencer by inserting the clip into a hole of the silencer such that paired leg portions thereof are initially inserted until a contact portion thereof at a side opposite to the leg portions comes into contact with a portion, surrounding the hole, of the silencer; bending and deforming the paired leg portions in the same manner as a pantograph such that intermediate portions of the leg portions spread outward; and sandwiching the portion, surrounding the hole, of the silencer between the outwardly spreading leg portions and the contact portion. Thus, in the case of using the clip, it is only necessary to provide a mounting hole in a silencer, and it is unnecessary to provide a mounting hole in a base member or provide a stud bolt to a base member.